And There He Stayed
by Stone of Philosophers
Summary: Lapis Lazuli attempts to flee from Homeworld with the Crystal Gems. To test her loyalty, she must find something precious to her own Diamond, Blue Diamond, and take it. In all the chaos, though, she is left behind, and now walks among the deepest depths of homeworld, planning to find a way out with nothing but fear, determination, and a broken mirror. [full summary inside]
1. Summary

**Steven Quartz Universe was discovered by the Diamonds. Wanting to punish Rose Quartz, but seeing no satisfaction in shattering her immediately, they took Steven's gem, and trapped him inside one of Blue Diamond's mirrors. There, he stayed for thousands of years, answering to none other than the Diamonds and their requests.**

**While Lapis Lazuli was of high stature, she hated Homeworld and the Diamond Authority. In a Crystal Gem raid, she sees her chance to finally escape. While the gems search for their friend, she is told as a test of loyalty to find something precious to her Diamond, Blue Diamond, and bring it with them to Earth.**

**Lapis remembers a mirror that the Diamonds used to gather, contain, and relay information. Everything it has ever seen can be shown. She takes the mirror and attempts to flee to Earth with the Crystal Gems. **

**The Crystal Gems have given up on their friend, and have decided to destroy the last Warp Pad connected to Homeworld that they had been using. But on the way out, Lapis is separated from the Gems, and now she must find a way to Earth from a planet against her with nothing but fear, determination, and a broken mirror.**


	2. Prologue

Prologue

"You can't do this! I'm not Rose Quartz, please!" A human stood before the Diamonds, pleading for his life. Yellow had a look of disgust for how far Rose had fallen, using an organic husk to hide from them. Tears still leaked from Blue's eyes, yet anger showed in most of her features for the hybrid before her.

How dare she? How dare she pretend to be a helpless human to escape her rightful punishment. How could she believe that such a hopeless ruse as this would trick the Diamonds?

And White... she still smiled that blank grin of hers, staring down the pitiful scene before her. She terrified the human the most. There was no telling what White was thinking, no expression of any kind marring her perfection.

"We've had enough of this nonsense." Finally, she spoke. "Your punishment has already been discussed. It would trying that over these thousands of years, we've mourned the death of our poor Pink, and yet to only shatter you now, you would barely be coherent for the length of your suffering. We find such a quick and unsatisfying punishment to be... insufficient."

The boy shivered, fearing what they thought would be worse than shattering. "We have decided, for your crimes against gemkind, and the assassination of Pink Diamond, you are sentenced to an eternity of servitude to us, and to us only. All of your freedoms will be stripped away, even your own mobility. Blue." White beckoned to the Diamond to her right.

The human was confused as he braced himself for pain, only to find that Blue had pulled out a golden, leaf-crested mirror. Stepping back as a giant hand picked him up, he gazed directly into White Diamond's eyes. There, his eyes remained focused, even as White's other hand lifted. Even as he felt a tug on his gem.

The last thing he saw before he was poofed was two soulless, frightening, diamond shaped eyes.

———————————————-

**This will be starting after "The Trial", but in a universe where Steven was the only one taken, and he doesn't escape. For any concerned, Rose Quartz is Rose Quartz.**

**And yes, Steven can be poofed in this au. **


	3. Beginnings

Lapis Lazuli walked along the bottom of Homeworld, a place where gems like her rarely lingered. She kept an eye out for any surveillance bots while she darted from place to place, hiding behind rocks and in empty caves.

She sighed as she held her only possession at the time, Blue Diamond's mirror. It wasn't really all that great. When she had found it, it had been locked in a box and rested on a pillow, as if a treasure. But now that she held it, Lapis could not find anything really special about it.

Perhaps it was broken? She had heard that the mirror was meant to hold knowledge, and all that it's glass surface had seen it was able show again, but no matter what she said, or how she phrased it, the mirror would not respond.

"I guess I picked up a useless piece of junk, anyway. I had nothing but ideals and stupid impulses. As if I could have actually gotten out of here with those Crystal Gems." Finding a nice, secure place to sit and gather her thoughts, she laid the mirror beside her and pulled her knees to her chest.

Once again sighing, she looked out of a crevice in the rock above her, where Homeworld bustled around, ignorant to her troubles. "Well, I guess it's just me and you, mirror." Closing her eyes, she buried her head in her arms.

There was silence, until a voice startled her. "I guess -."

Looking up, her neck almost snapped from the speed she looked around her. She must be going crazy, because there was no one around her, not even a spare surveillance bot floating around. Finally, she looked down at the mirror beside her.

Then chuckled. "Pfft, yeah, right. As if the mirror was actually talking to me." She laughed quietly some more, grasping her bangs until she heard the voice once more.

"Pfft, yeah, right." Lapis let her eyes drift back to the mirror, her mouth gaping. "The mirror is talking."

"- yeah -."

"And it has my voice."

"- yeah -."

Lapis started pulling at her hair. "I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy! I don't want to be crazy! Am I crazy?"

"I guess -." Lapis glared at the mirror. Picking it up, she glared at it. "Shut up! I will not be made fun of by a stupid piece of glass! I'm very stressed right now, and I have a lot more important things to do than argue with a mirror!"

She cocked her hand back to throw it, but stopped when she heard her voice again.

"- don't -." Lapis paused. "Why shouldn't I throw you?"

"- don't - throw - not - useless -."

"Hmmm." Lapis lowered her arm, thinking. Obviously, the mirror was broken in some way. It wasn't supposed to be conscious. It kept some level of truth, though, only repeating what it had seen and heard since she took the mirror.

There was something wrong, but first thing's first. "Okay, what are you, a gem of some kind?"

There was no reply. Lapis smacked her forehead. "Of course- yes, no, or maybe."

"-maybe."

"What do you mean, maybe?!

"-maybe."

"Are you a gem, or not?!"

"- kind - of -."

"What do you- ugh, fine, let's do it your way. If you're not a gem, what are you?"

"Gem."

"Then you're a gem?"

"- kind - of -."

"Oh my stars." Lapis glared annoyingly at the mirror. "So, you're a gem, but apparently, not a gem. What are you, a hybrid?"

"-yes."

Lapis choked. "A hybrid- is that even possible?!"

"-apparently-."

Lapis let her hand fall to the floor, the mirror still in it. Using her other hand to massage her temple, she tried to comfort an oncoming headache. This was dangerous. A talking mirror that claimed to be half gem, half something else, that couldn't even work right? Yeah, screw this.

Putting the mirror down, she stood and started making her way out of the enclosure of rock. "I'm leaving, so... bye, I guess."

"- no -."

Lapis stopped. "What do you mean, no?"

"- no - bye -."

"Wha- "

"- it's just me and you -."

Lapis remembered saying that, but that was before the mirror decided to pull... whatever this is! "So, you're lonely? Or you have evil alternative plans?"

"- lonely - yes -."

"Well, sorry, but you kind of give me the creeps, soooo..." Lapis turns and leaves, but stops just outside when she hears more words, but from someone without her voice. It was a very familiar voice, but it sounded so different from the tone and words that came from it.

"Please-."

Of course, this was Blue Diamond's mirror, but hearing her voice in such a sad and pleading way was almost unnerving, especially from the Diamond known to shatter gems on a whim.

Lapis turned to look at the mirror just as Blue's face faded away from it. Sighing, for the third time since she had cast away her previous life, she went and picked up the mirror. It was the only thing she could call hers now, anyway. She might as well use it to try and find a way out of here.

"So, mirror, any friends you know that can help us out? Or just me, since I don't really know what you want."

There was a pause, before: "- friends -."

"Yes, friends. You have any, or was your whole life spent in a mirror?"

"- not - whole life spent in a mirror - had - friends-."

Lapis' patience was wearing thin. "And they were... ?" Lapis froze at the next words to leave the mirror.

"- Crystal Gems -."

Silence ensued, before Lapis found the exact words swarming through her mind that was a perfectly acceptable response for the situation.

"Well, that does us a ton of good. Nice job, mirror. You've saved us."

"Shut up!"

——————————————

So, begins a lovely friendship. Btw, expect Mirror Steven trauma. He won't be the same as in cannon. :(

But he still got jokes ;)


	4. Mirror-Boy

Hidden in another cave, Lapis sets the mirror down before her. "So, you're not really a mirror."

_"- no -."_

"But you're not fully a gem either, are you?"

_"- no -." _

It had been a few days, and Lapis had no one for company except for a few drifting surveillance bots and the mirror. They'd had quite a few conversations, so it's vocabulary has expanded. What else was Lapis supposed to do? Not converse with the talking mirror?

Lot of good that did for her the first few hours. All the mirror did was make nonstop sounds and noises from cutoff words with her voice until she gave it her attention. (Which was extremely annoying, by the way, so she really had no choice.)

At least, that's what she told herself.

"So, what would happen if I let you out?"

_"- free -."_

The mirror hadn't really talked about this subject much, probably because it didn't have enough words to explain how to set it free.

"How do I let you out?"

"_Gem -."_

Turning the mirror around, she gazed at the pink glowing gem. From the color and cut, it seemed to be a Rose Quartz gem. There was a large crack through it, though, and Lapis wondered if that was why the mirror was given so much coherency. Or, at least, why it maintained no record of visuals or audio from before when she took it.

She still doesn't know how it came to be, only that the mirror kept repeating "blue, blue, blue -" over and over until Lapis guessed it meant Blue Diamond. Why Blue would crack her own mirror, she didn't know. It didn't make any sense. And honestly, if it meant having the mirror as it is now, maybe it was a good thing Blue cracked it.

At least now, Lapis had someone she could talk to.

"What do you want me to do with your gem?"

_"Need - word -."_

Lapis searched her mind for something. "Tap?"

_"- no -."_

"Rub?"

_"- no -"_

"Umm... eat?"

_"- no__ -."_ There was one of her laughs from previous conversation.

"How about... shatter?"

_"No!"_ Lapis knew if she flipped the mirror over, she would see her own fake-horrified face from yesterday when she tried to give the mirror more expressions and words to use.

"Ok, ok! I- um, do you need me to take it somewhere?"

_"- take__ -." _Okay, this was leading somewhere.

"Okay, take it where?"

"- no - take - gem -_." _This is... confusing.

"Take the gem somewhere?"

_"- no - take -."_

"Take the gem... out?"

_"Yes!__"_ The sound of her clapping came from the mirror. Inwardly, Lapis congratulated herself.

_"Please - please - please - please - please - please-"_

"Yeah, yeah, wait a second! I'm going to."

_"- thank you - thank you - thank you - thank you -"_

Lapis drowned out the repetitive grateful words and stared at the gem before her. Reaching out, her blue fingers brushed upon the edges. Taking a deep breath, she needed one more confirmation.

"Are you sure taking out the gem will set you free? Not hurt you in some way?"

_"Yes - yes -!"_

"And it won't hurt me in any way?"

_" - maybe - probably not -."_

"Okay." This was it. Nodding to herself, she gripped the edges of the gem and pulled.

It was easier than she thought. After a few seconds of struggle, the gem slipped right out, and a bright light engulfed the cave.

The walls and ceiling glowed with pink luminescence, and in the back of her mind, she hoped this wouldn't draw any surveillance bots near. Most of her focus, though, was on the form shifting in front of her, a small silhouette showing in the light.

Lapis had seen gems reform before, but this was different. As if it immediately knew what it would look like, or had no choice to look like anything else, there was no moving blob of light, but an immediate form that barely changed.

The light started to fade, and the figure floated down to the ground, her feet meeting the floor, but not being able to stop her from falling to her knees. The reformation was over, and the mysterious Rose Quartz was dressed in a shirt with a star on it, jeans, and weird, pink, floppy sandals.

Her black hair was curly, so curly it was poofy, and the gem's skin coloring was off. This was no ordinary Rose Quartz, even as she turned to Lapis with the biggest, brightest smile she had ever seen.

"Thank you! You set me free! Thank you so much!" The gem rushed to an alarmed Lapis, and wraps her arms around Lapis' middle. The blue gem freezes, before gently - and hesitantly - lowering her arms around it.

They stay like that for an uncomfortable amount of time to Lapis, but the Rose Quartz seemed completely fine with doing this for hours. Sadly, they didn't have the time.

"Um, okay. Hug over?" The other gem yelped. "Oh! Yeah, hug over."

It still seemed reluctant to let go.

When she finally did, Lapis dusted off her clothes and pointed at the hybrid. "So, you were in the mirror?"

"Yep."

"And the Diamonds put you there?"

"Yep."

Lapis considered her next question carefully. "Not because you're dangerous or anything, right?"

"Nope. They just hated me."

Lapis stared at the strange half-gem, before said gem stuck her hand out. "Let's do proper introductions. Can't just go by mirror boy, can I?"

"Boy?" Lapis frowned at the unfamiliar term.

"Which is exactly why we need introductions." When her hand didn't move, the other gem forcefully took it. Shaking it eagerly, she rattled off.

"Hi, my name's Steven Quartz Universe. I'm half human on my dad's side, and gem on my mom's side. I'm a boy, I like Cookie Cats - which are probably long gone by now - long walks on the beach, and people getting along. I guess I kind of hate mirrors now? Anyways, nice to meet your acquaintance, miss... ?"

"You already know my name."

"Introductions. Humor me."

Lapis sighed. "Lapis Lazuli. Haven't really had much to like yet, and I definitely don't like the Diamond Authority anymore. Or Homeworld. Happy?"

"Appeased." The... Steven... then let go of her hand. "So, I'm sure you have questions? Ask anything. Except how to get to Earth, because I'm working on that, but I have no idea."

Lapis was silent for a moment, trying to process all of this. So, the Steven was half human, half gem, apparently had a gem mother, and it was from Earth, but had no idea how to get back. Why not?

"How long were you stuck in that mirror." She began counting her fingers, before looking at Lapis with a contemplative look on her face. "Judging on the visits from Blue Diamond, I'd say a few thousand, maybe three thousand years. Things like time kinda blend together when you don't have a clock with you."

Lapis nodded. Three thousand didn't seem too bad. Well, except for the isolation. And now that she thought about it, didn't humans have really short life spans?

Also, since she could actually talk now, and they didn't have to play any guessing games, Lapis could ask a question that had been bothering her ever since she saw the Steven's gem.

"How come you have a Rose Quartz gem when they were all bubbled. Did your... mother?... miraculously escape them?"

The Steven started to look extremely embarrassed, if not entirely uncomfortable. Her foot scraped the ground, and her fingers fidgeted and wrapped around one another. "Well, you know how it all started because one Rose Quartz gem shattered Pink Diamond?"

Lapis nodded.

"Well, my mom - a Rose Quartz - well, turns out she... was the one... to shatter Pink Diamond." While her voice decreased in volume towards the end, Lapis heard perfectly well. She gapped at the Steven, letting it sink into her mind.

She was standing before the shatterer - no, the son of the shatterer, if that was the truth - of Pink Diamond! No wonder the other Diamonds were enraged enough to imprison her in that mirror!

The hybrid saw the look on her face and cringed. "I-I'm not Rose Quartz, though! It wasn't my fault. I wasn't alive when it happened, so I couldn't stop it! I didn't shatter Pink Diamond! I didn't shatter her!"

The words came more panicked now, and her fists were clenched. The longer Lapis stared at her, the more the hybrid began to shake, and her chest continued to rise and fall at an unsteady rate.

Quick to deescalate the situation, Lapis put a hand on the hybrid's shoulder. "I know, I believe you! I'm not going to hurt you or anything, so calm down. Just, take a breath." Steven was taking a breath. She was taking lots of breaths. Too many quick breaths.

Now, gems don't necessarily need to breathe, but this one was half human, and Lapis didn't want to find out if she would expire without enough oxygen in her system.

"Just relax. I won't give you up to the Diamonds, I'm running from them anyway. We're both on the same side." The gem/human seemed to be more calm, so Lapis continued.

"Are you okay?"

Steven didn't answer for a few moments, but finally sighed. "I hope so."

Lapis was relieved. The blue gem really didn't like what had just happened. "Okay, if you don't mind, I have one more question. Promise it's nothing too bad... I think."

Steven deeply inhaled, as if readying herself, before smiling. "Can't be worse than what just happened. Shoot."

"What's a boy?" For the next five minutes, there would be nonstop laughter from Steven and continuous blushing on Lapis' side. Okay, so she wasn't exactly familiar with human anatomy, why would she even want to take that class! How was she supposed to know that "boy" was the native Earth way to say "male"?

—————————————————————

**As I previously stated, Rose Quartz is Rose Quartz. But the story behind Pink Diamond's shattering is a little different from what you would think.**

**Let's just say, Pink is a little less shattered than you think she is.**

**Lapis will be a little different. Still a bit snarky, but not as traumatized. A bit more open to others' feelings and her own.**

**Also, I won't be delving too deep into Homeworld's structure. It's a bit confusing to me, and I don't have many descriptions and details from the show, so this'll be a bit vague. :(**


	5. Plans

Now that they were both acquainted with each other, they spent the next few hours talking and planning. Lapis had learned that since Steven was actually a boy, he used pronouns such as he, him, and his.

Honestly, Lapis saw no need for this. It was overly complicated to use different pronouns for different genders, and would be much more simple to just use familiar terms. Well, female terms, from what she gathered from Steven.

She already knew there were different pronouns, of course, but it would be a hassle trying to remember to use the correct ones for Steven when her entire life, she's never had to use them. Lapis suggested that they just ignore them for now, and she would just continue to refer to Steven with her usual pronouns.

Steven had insisted on the privilege to be acknowledged for what he is.

In the middle of discussing what their next move would be, Lapis glances up to take another look at Steven's features. This led to more concern on her part.

While Lapis had not at first noticed it, Steven's eyes were... strange. They looked less like eyes and more like fractured mirrors, and Lapis had a feeling she knew why.

"Steven, where's your gem?"

"On my belly button. Why?" Lapis lifted up his shirt, and sucked in a breath when she saw the problem. Steven's gem was still cracked, and while it looked okay for now, whenever it glowed, the light flickered.

Lapis reached a hand forward to touch it, but yelped when Steven tightly gripped her wrist.

"Steven- !"

"Never touch my gem." Lapis froze. Steven's voice was at a dangerous low, and when she looked up at him, his eyes showed no remorse.

She hadn't known Steven for long, but there was definitely something wrong with him. Maybe both physical and mental. Still, she drew her hand back and nodded.

Steven looked relieved, and let go of her hand. "Sorry, but the last time someone grabbed my gem, I ended up trapped in _that thing_." He pointed at the broken mirror, previously shattered from when he emerged from it.

Oh. _Ooohhhh_. Lapis now understood why he was reluctant to let anyone touch his gem. Of course, he had to be poofed first before they stuck him to that mirror. They must have torn his gem right out of him! Lapis felt so stupid right now.

"Sorry, Steven. I-I should've known. If I ever do anything like that, that makes you uncomfortable, don't be afraid to tell me. Okay?"

Steven smiled and looked grateful. "Okay."

———————————————————————-

It took a while, but the pair finally found a cluster of jutted rocks that might just help them get back to main Homeworld. Lapis had her water wings, but seeing a gem of such high stature flying from the gutters may alert some gems, and things would only get worse from there. With the rocks, Lapis and Steven can climb from rock to rock, and Lapis can fly them over greater distances. This way, there was less a chance of them getting caught.

They already had a plan:

1\. Get to Main Homeworld.

2\. Find a ship.

3\. Fly it to Earth.

... It's a work in progress.

"Steven, do you know any ships around this sector we can use?" While she picks him up and flies him to the next rock, he shrugs. "All the ships I remember are probably long gone. Not to mention they were all in secure places. Even if they were still there, I don't think we could have gotten one out alive."

Lapis nods, placing Steven down. After climbing a few more rocks, they reached one of the lower levels of Homeworld, but one where it would be easy to walk the rest of the way. Earlier, Lapis had made herself a cloak, and she pulled the hood over her head. Steven couldn't make one, so they just had to hope no one recognized or asked questions about him.

As they trek, Steven stays close to Lapis, gripping her cloak. While Lapis would have just ignored it, the hybrid kept getting underfoot, so she told him to give her some space. He stepped aside a little, but never let go of the cloak.

Colors flashed around them. Homeworld was pretty bright, and after spending much of her time in the gutters, it started to give Lapis a headache. Gems were always bustling around, working, doing something, and while Lapis had never noticed it before, it was actually kind of strange.

Where did the power for all those lights come from? A star? Another planet? Certainly not any source on this crumbling planet.

Walking along the surface of Homeworld, they were bound to be stopped by someone. If not the commoner gems who toiled each day from being interrupted, then maybe one of the higher officials supervising their work.

Whoever was going to notice them, Lapis sure hadn't expected it to be a Ruby.

"Hey you! The cloaked gem! What's your status?"

Lapis froze and ushers Steven behind her, praying no one notices him enough to grow curious. The Ruby hadn't noticed him, and kept her eyes solely on Lapis. A shiny red gem gleams from her forehead.

"Well, I was just taking a walk-"

"A walk? When there's work to be done? Get back to your station!" While she had forsaken her position in Gem society, Lapis still didn't appreciate having a Ruby order her around.

"Excuse me, but do you know who I am?" The Ruby at least had the common sense to look nervous. No lower level gem would ever talk back to a superior, so the cloaked gem before her must not have been as low class as she thought.

"Well, no. You've kinda got a cloak on." Lapis groaned and flipped the hood of the cloak back, giving the Ruby a bored and impatient look.

The Ruby gasped. "A Lapis Lazuli?! Forgive me for even considering ordering you around! I had no idea. May I ask, why are you wandering around with a cloak?"

Lapis had already come up with an excuse. "I got bored. As part of Blue's court, it gets pretty dull. I decided to supervise and see how the lower levels were doing." She turned her gaze to the cog gems transporting items from place to place. No one was looking at them, instead favoring completing their tasks.

"I made the cloak because I'm probably not supposed to be down here, but I really needed a break. You understand, right?"

The Ruby fumbles for a response. "Of course, Ms. Lapis! I- um, really get kind of bored here, also. It's understandable." The Ruby has probably never been bored before in her life, serving as much as she could with enviable enthusiasm. Lower gems would say anything to get on a higher gem's good side.

"Well, I hope you can forget this meeting. It'd be a shame if I was caught before I could find gems worthy of my recommendation for a promotion." This caught the Ruby's attention, and she widens her eyes, wondering if she could be one of those gems. Then, she puts on a sly smile.

"Nothing happened here! I don't know what you're referring to." The Ruby chuckles. Lapis rolls her eyes and pulls her hood back over her head.

"Good." When she started moving again, Steven shifted around her to stay out of sight of the Ruby.

As the two left, Ruby hummed in satisfaction. Not only had she aided a gem of higher status, but she might even get a promotion from it! This might be her lucky break!

While she was okay with supervising the commoner and cog gems, she would much rather have a special gem of her own to guard. Maybe she would get a Sapphire, or a Zircon. And maybe, if she was especially lucky, she would be able to guard the Lapis Lazuli she had just met!

Ruby continued to snicker to herself. At least, until she returned to her surveillance duties and was informed by a Peridot of the latest face on the Diamonds' wanted list.

———————————————————————-

Hidden in an alleyway, Steven and Lapis laugh at the foolish Ruby.

"Ruby, if you listen to me, I will say nice things about you."

"Oh, Ms. Lapis, I love gems who say nice things about me! I'll do whatever you want!"

While Steven tried to look as haughty as possible to take a crack at mimicking Lapis, Lapis fell to her knees and put her hands together, as if begging Steven for something, impersonating Ruby.

There was a moment of silence, before muffled laughter came from them both. Lapis covers her mouth, and Steven tries to calm down and wipes tears from his eyes.

"Oh my gosh, I've met Rubies before, but are they all like that?" Lapis' chuckles die down.

"From what I've met, yeah. They aren't the brightest gems here." Steven nodded, seeming to ponder something.

Standing up, Lapis adopts a more serious look, ready to move on. Poking her head out the alleyway, she saw most of the gems were congregated in other areas, so she motioned for Steven to follow her.

Absentmindedly grabbing her cloak again, he stumbled after her.

They were walking to the side of buildings, trying to not draw attention, when suddenly Steven stops. "Lapis, wait!" Not that he needed to say anything, since he was still holding her cloak. Almost tripping, Lapid turns back, looking concerned. "What?"

"Do you know where the Ruby sector is?"

"Yes?"

"And they have ships there, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Steven suddenly smirks. Nothing malicious, but more mischievous, and Lapis worries for their safety.

"Lapis, what we're about to do will be dangerous. But I think we'll make it out with some dumb luck." Lapis just gives him a confused look. "Dumb luck?"

"Yep. Extra emphasis on the _dumb_."

———————————————————————-

**Again, I have little to work with, and I barely know how Homeworld is structured, so I can't really go into the surroundings much. You'll have to use something called: **

**I M A G I N A T I O N**

**Also, you shouldn't trust me saying there's a Ruby sector. There probably isn't! :0**

**Sorry. /**

**(If you have any complaints, don't hold back! This is my first fanfic, and I want to learn from it, maybe even better it someday. And I need criticism to sharpen my edge!**

**No flaming, though. That scares me.**

**Also, I can do with compliments. They fuel my writing engine!)**


	6. Dumb Luck

_Okay, so Rubies weren't the smartest beings in the universe, but really?!_

—————————————————————

Casting away her cloak, Lapis casually steps onto the local warp pad, giving the cloak instead to Steven. Steven quickly slips it on, then grabs Lapis' hand as the warp pad starts to glow.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Lapis glances at Steven, eyebrow raised. "Yeah, haven't you taken a warp pad be-"

The pair was carried away in a burst of light, before reappearing elsewhere on a whole new side of Homeworld.

"-fore? Whoops." They had warped within one of the crystalline buildings, but neither could have guessed how busy it would be.

They were in a large room, and rubies were rushing everywhere; talking, fighting, running, even guarding other gems. Of course, the whole facility was themed with dark and light red colors, and off to the left side there was a desk with a Lake Superior Agate assigning ruby gems to their missions.

"Look at the gem I'm going to be guarding! She's of such high stature, she even gets to see Yellow Diamond occasionally!"

"Hurry up! We're late to the meeting!"

"Has anyone seen my destabilizer?"

"I'm being sent where?!"

Rubies are admittedly loud.

"Hey, you two!" Lapis and Steven cringe as they are addressed by a ruby coming towards them. Lapis hears Steven faintly mutter. "This is what I was worried about."

"Do you have clearance to be here?" The ruby's gem is on her foot, and Steven makes a mental note to call her "Ruby Shoes."

"Umm... is my gem enough clearance?" Ruby Shoes narrows her eyes as Lapis turns around, before widening them comically and looking ready to pop. "A Lapis Lazuli?! Oh- I am so sorry, mam! I didn't mean to harass you, or anything. Wh-what can I do for you?"

"Well, my Diamond has sent me on a mission, and I need a ship. My previous one has... uh... broken down. I _really_ don't want to disappoint my Diamond with these news, but I need to get off Homeworld for this mission! I thought, if there were any gems, um, kind... and, uh... dutiful enough to lend me a ship, it would be the rubies! Can you help me? _Please_?" Lapis kicks Steven's leg subtly when she hears him snickering at her helplessly pleading tone. Hopefully, it hadn't sounded too fake.

Judging by Ruby Shoes' unwavering smile, her story had been bought. "Well, I'd be happy to lend you my ship! Me and my crew just finished a shipment of organic supplements to the human zoo, so we have a while before any new off-world missions. Just be sure to return it when you're done."

"Sure." As if. It would be a dark time on Homeworld before she brought that ship back.

Basically, never. Sucker.

Ruby Shoes gestures for her to follow, and Lapis follows earnestly, keeping Steven close to her. She does, however, start to panic when Ruby Shoes turns around again to face Steven. "If you don't mind me asking, who's behind the cloak?"

Summoning the most authoritative voice she could, Lapis raises her hand. "I'm sorry, but that's classified and out of your jurisdiction."

The red gem gapes at her, and then chuckles. "Haha, Diamond business, huh? Must be hard for a gem in Blue Diamond's actual court! You must be so busy all the time, have you ever thought of getting a Ruby guard?" Lapis looks away to hide her growing smile.

"I prefer to take care of myself. I have my gem powers for a reason. Besides, I'm sure you rubies have better things to do than just follow me around everywhere." And it was true. Being part of Blue Diamond's court, she didn't leave Homeworld much except for terraforming the older and already conquered colonies. There was just no real reason for her to have a Ruby guard.

Also, if she was being honest, they kind of creeped her out. She'd rather not have one of those gems watching her every move.

Ruby Shoes turns away and begins walking, but Lapis can swear she heard a murmured "she's so cool" come from the gem's mouth.

—————————————————————

It was a standard Ruby ship, round and red. It was a little bigger than what Steven had previously seen, but it was mostly just round and red.

"Well, I think this is where I leave you to your Diamond Business. Good luck on your mission, Miss Lazuli!"

"Thanks." Lapis smiles as she boards the ship, Steven still holding tightly to her hand. But just as Ruby Shoes had turned away, there was yelling coming from down the hall, and a very familiar gem skidded to a halt near the doorway.

"Wait! They're fugitives!"

"Time to go." Lapis yanks Steven after her as she runs inside the ship and shuts the door. Immediately, she heard pounding from the other side.

"You lied to me! Give me back my ship!"

Lapis rushes to the control panel and activated the ship, while Steven finally lets go of her hand and runs to one of the back seats, clicking on a seatbelt. After a questionable look from the blue gem, he shrugs. "What? I learn from experiences, and I want nothing to do with that control panel."

The ship starts to rise, and the rubies can be heard yelling from below.

"My ship!"

"Get down here, you fugitives! We'll have you shattered for this."

Lapis looks out from the observation screen and shouts back at them. "Only if you catch us, idiots!" She laughs as she activates the thrusters, and the ship blasts through the ceiling.

Steven whoops and Lapis yells in excitement when they break the atmosphere, and they both watch as the dreadful planet gets smaller and smaller in the distance. Lapis speeds up the ship, and watches as the stars fly by them.

"Set this on a course for Earth, Lapis! I'm going home!"

"Yeeeeaaah, about that. I've already checked the destination and PTD (Previously Timed Distance), and it's going to take a few cycles to get there." Steven motioned forward with his hand, and Lapis realized he probably didn't know what she was talking about.

"Judging by the translation, and my Earth studies, it should be around a _week_ on Earth before we actually get there. Did I say that right? _Weeeeeek_."

"A week?!"

"And that's while going at the speed we're at right now. Anything faster wouldn't be good for your organic body. This is one of the old ships, so it doesn't have a speed regulator for the inside. Sorry, Steven, but we'll be here for a while."

Steven groans and taps his fingers on the armrest, and Lapis rests her head on the steering board.

"So... " Steven began. "Wanna play charades?"

———————————————————————

**The End. Hope you liked the story, everything turns out fine, and this is the absolute end of this series.**

**...**

**Sorry, I'm stupid. Next chapter is coming soon! Sorry I took a while on this one, this is the week of my midterms. I need to study!**

**(And I don't mean to poke fun at rubies, but they shouldn't be so funnily poke-able!)**


	7. Roommates

"We have approximately two more cycles - or Earth days -before we reach Earth. _Whatever __days__ are._" Lapis doesn't even try to make sense of the Earth times displayed on the holo-screen. Steven gasps at Lapis' words.

"I'll never make it! The ship ran out of food yesterday! What'll I eat?" Lapis gave him a deadpan look. "Of course the ship ran out of food, we gems don't need it. I'm surprised you found something to eat in the first place." It was kind of weird that Steven found organic food items in the storage unit (after all, the ship was given to them after the rubies transported the food) but Lapis tried not to question it.

That just lead to more headaches.

Steven was still shifting things around the ship before coming to a strange compartment. Sticking his hand in, he pulls out something shiny, with gem inscription on the front. A multitude of other small wrapped objects sat within the compartment.

Steven opens the wrapped package and sniffs. Suddenly, his fractured eyes are full of stars. "Lapis, you never told me rubies smuggled chocolate on their ships!"

His words are full of wonder, and Lapis groans. "That's because they don't. One of them must be defective or something..."

Steven immediately shushes her. "No, no Lapis. Not defective. She just has great tastes. Reminds me of another gem I know." Sticking some of the _chocolate_ in his mouth, he closes the compartment, saving the rest for later.

Lapis had to ponder: _what gem in their right minds would eat when they didn't have to?_ "Who?"

"One ov mah fwiends, Amefyst." He was still chewing on the chocolate.

"You mean one of the Crystal Gems?"

"Yessiree." While Steven swallowed the chocolate, Lapis seemed disconcerted. "So, all the Crystal Gems... _eat food?_"

Steven chokes on his next bite, then laughs. "No, not all of them! Just Amethyst, and maybe Garnet a little. Pearl wouldn't even touch food if she could help it!" Steven chortles, and Lapis can't stop herself from letting out a few giggles of her own. Steven's laughs are a little contagious.

"Tell me more about them. They seem interesting." She doesn't mention the fact she had already met them once, but it wasn't really long enough to really know them.

"Amethyst was really gross. She was always eating things that she shouldn't have, and once, she even ate rocket fuel! Haha! She's really funny, and independent. She rarely lets anyone tell her what to do. She's really loyal, though, even if she's a little prickly on the outside. Also, there's Garnet! She's really cool, and doesn't talk a lot, but not because she's mean. She's the leader, but she's a fusion, which is why she's so strong and always seems to know what'll happen before it happens- "

Lapis nods, trying to process Steven's endless chatter. Rocket fuel? A fusion? This new bunch seemed... eccentric.

"-ry protective, kind of like a mom, but more of a cool older sister. And speaking of overprotective - oh ho - wait till you meet Pearl! She's so smothering, all the time! She's always petite and well mannered, but not afraid to kick your butt! ...I know she's just trying to protect me, but she can be so overbearing, and acts like she knows everything. She only does it because she loves me, though... She loves us, and they love me, but... Lapis? Do you think they were looking for me?"

Lapis' mind was whirling to keep up with the conversation, and this sudden emotional drop did not help. "Well, umm... when I saw them, they said they were looking for a friend. It was probably you, I mean, from what you've been saying, they really seem to like you. A lot. Of course, they might have been looking for your remains, too, since they went into the bubble section of the palace. Since you're half human, I doubt they thought you'd have lived this long." Inwardly, Lapis face palmed.

Yeah. Nice pep talk.

Steven sniffs. "Well, that seems true. Just think of the looks on their faces when they see I'm alive, though. I bet they'll be so shocked, and happy - and they'll never want to leave my side again -" Steven's voice starts to break "- I miss them so much, Lapis! I just wanna see them right now!"

"We still have two Earth days-"

"_I don't care!_ I still wanna see them..." And then the tears came, and Lapis couldn't help but open her arms, inviting him for another hug. That always seemed to comfort him.

This one is different, though. He shoots into her abdomen like a missile, and squeezes so tight it almost hurts.

Almost.

She wraps her arms around him and holds him with - considerably - less strength than he uses with her. "Hey, it'll be fine. We'll see them soon, I promise. And I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, if they like you half as much as I do." Steven moves his wet face from where it had been smearing tears and snot on her. "Really? You like me?"

"Considerably more than when you were a talking mirror." Steven chuckles, and it makes Lapis relieved that this episode is nearly over. "Yes, Steven. I like you. And, if you want, until we find your old friends, I could be your friend."

Steven's pink-tinted eyes glimmer. Whether from previous tears of sorrow, or new ones of joy, Lapis doesn't know. "Never leave me, Lapis. Never ever ever. I want you to be my friend forever, even when we find Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst. Please stay with me?"

At first, Lapis doesn't know what to say. Had she really played such an important role in his life? Sure, she freed him from the mirror, and helped him off of Homeworld, but they had only known each other for a week and-a-half. And most of that week she spent talking to him through the mirror! Was it really that easy to want someone in your life forever? Or was this the two-to-three thousand years trapped alone in a mirror speaking?

Finally, Lapis smiles. "Sure Steven. I'll stay with you."_ '__At least, until you don't need me anymore__'_ went unsaid.

"So, what else is cool about Earth? Is it really just a rock full of mud, water, and growth, or..."

"Of course not! My friend, your educational system has wronged you. Earth is so much greater than that!"

They spend the next few hours laughing. Lapis asking questions of what was to come, Steven answering with what has been.

And they never stop hugging.

—————————————————————

The past week had been... strange to Lapis. Half of it, Steven wasn't even conscious. They would be in the middle of a conversation, and Steven would just drift off. He wouldn't talk, would barely move, it was as if his mind had poofed, and he was the gem.

The only thing that told her he was still alive was breathing and the occasional incoherent murmur. She had at first chalked it up to the cracked gem, but tossed that idea once she figured out this was normal for Steven. He always expected it, and almost every time, right before he passed out, he would say "goodnight, Lapis" and Lapis would half panic at his unresponsive body.

Finally, she'd had enough. "Okay Steven, what's wrong with you?"

Steven gives her a weird look as he is about to lay down again. "What do you mean? I'm tired."

Lapis scoffs. "You aren't doing anything to make you tired enough to loose all your energy like this! We barely even moved around the past few hours. This has been happening at least every half of one of your Earth days and you aren't even concerned?"

Suddenly, Steven laughs. "Lapis, it's what humans do! We need a lot of energy to move and stuff, so at the end of the day - or at least halfway through your day - we kinda, power off to save energy for the next. It's also like charging, since our bodies heal faster when we're asleep, and it also kinda helps us to not go insane."

Lapis blinks. "So you're telling me humans need twelve hours of sleep every day to be healthy? Like, a resting point, but more extreme? You organics are pretty fragile."

"Well, more like eight hours, really, but yeah. And I'm still tired right now, so I'm just gonna-"

"Yeah, don't wanna stop you from being healthy-"

"-okay. Goodnight, Lapis." Steven lays down and closes his eyes, the conversation growing dull to him.

Only moments later does he sit back up and look her in the eye. The look on his face is so serious Lapis feels a shiver in her gem. "And don't watch me sleep, please. It's creepy, unnerving, and I've had enough of it done by Pearl to last me a lifetime."

With that, Steven once again settles down and gets comfortable, breathing growing deeper and slower.

Lapis turns away and faces the observation glass. She makes a metal note to ask him in the next eight hours what a _goodnight_ is.

————————————————

"Steven? Steven, I'm here!"

_The world is different. More, reflective, but black. It was dark, and he sees nothing but himself upon every wall in the blue-tinted room he is stuck in._

"Come on! It's not real!"

_No, it isn't a room. Where is he? No matter how far he walks, he always ends up in the same place until he started falling..._

_Falling..._

_Floating?_

"Steven, what's wrong?!"

_This is wrong. This is all wrong! He knew where he was! This is his nightmare! His hell! His punishment!_

_A mirror! It's a mirror!_

_"Let me out! Please! Let me out!"_

_He didn't do anything._

_"I'm innocent, please!"_

_It wasn't his fault._

"I'll do anything, just _**LET ME OUT!"**_

_Why can't they understand?_

_"You have to understand!"_

_It wasn't me!_

_**"IT WASN'T ME!"**_

"OPEN YOUR EYES!"

Steven's eyes shoot open. He's sweating, and breathing too quickly. His throat is sore from screaming and yelling, and Lapis finally stops shaking him, worriedly looking into his eyes. Calmly, she asks:

"Are you with me?"

Steven nods.

"Okay. I won't ask, at least, not right now. I can tell you need a break from that." Once again, he only nods.

Lapis bites her lip. Steven never told her that sleeping would make a human do this. She has so many questions, but she'll save them for later. He doesn't look like he can handle them right now. "I know you seem stressed right now, but I have something to say that might make all of this better." The hybrid cocked an eyebrow, doubtful that anything could make him feel better at the moment.

"We've just entered your galaxy." He was wrong. This made everything better.

————————————————

**We've almost reached Earth! Woohoo! Wonder, will the gems welcome Steven like Lapis says they will? Will anything be the same? Are the gems even still ALIVE?!**

**Wait, I'm the author! Why am I asking these questions? I already know what's going to happen!**

**But do you?**

**(Yeah, a lot of things happened on that ship, and maybe later I'll tell you guys the story where Lapis finds out just what happens to food after humans eat it.**

**...It was a long ride.)**

**Till next time, folks!**


	8. Whoops, It’s 2020 Already

Dear Readers, I apologize for the fact it's been around two weeks since I last updated but I assure you, it's for a reason.

I have big things planned. I have a lot to write. And I've been celebrating for the holidays. Yep. That's pretty much it. I should be back on my wonky schedule any second now, and trust me when I say the wait is worth it!

Or don't trust me. I don't know what you people think. I believe it's worth it, though.

Have an amazing 2020, everyone!


	9. The Steps We Take Must Lead Somewhere

"That makes no sense! The ship says it should be right here!" Lapis only stares at the desolate scene before her. Steven panics.

"We have to be in the wrong solar-system, or- or the wrong galaxy! This can't be... something's wrong, Lapis!" The blue gem doesn't respond to the hybrid's ramblings, and instead pulls up a file on the holographic screen showing Earth. Scrolling through reports and useless details, she mumbles to herself.

"Come on... when's the last time this system has been updated... ?" Pressing a button, she leans back as the screen loads. Steven hovers over her.

"What did you do?"

"I'm updating the systems."

"To fix the map?"

"No, to find out what happened to Earth."

"Well, you don't need to do that, this isn't Earth. The map was wrong!"

"Well, obviously not! You named literally every planet on our way here from just looking at them, so obviously you're familiar with the area." He did. He had been so excited and confident, almost bouncing off the walls when he saw Mars.

"I must have been mistaken!"

"You sounded so sure!"

"Not anymore! We've come to the wrong place! All that time in the mirror must have muddled up my memory, or something..."

Lapis pauses. "Just... wait for the update and we'll see."

Steven wasn't happy, but he sat down in one of the seats. Gazing out of the observation glass, he wonders what happened to the planet before them.

It looked dead, inside and out. It was falling apart; giant cracks in the surface and drifting pieces showed the empty hull of the center, dark and probably cold with the absence of its core. The remains of the planet were brown and grey, even black in certain places.

A large chunk of it was gone, not even visible from where the ship was positioned.

Almost as if something had emerged from inside.

—————————————————

Tears pour from Steven's eyes and down his cheeks, and he looks at Lapis fiercely, with a burning fire in his eyes.

"That's not true. It can't be."

"Steven... the logs are updated. It says it right here. Earth... Earth is gone." Lapis had to lean back into the chair. She almost poofed out of shock when she read the reports. Tears trickle down her own face, dripping at a slow pace as opposed to Steven's.

If Earth was gone, where were the Crystal Gems? How did they find her? What was going to happen to them now?

No home, no place to go back to, all they had was a ship that would at some point run out of power. Sure, Lapis could fly, but how long could a human hybrid like Steven last in space with no oxygen? Lapis shook her head and pulled her knees to her chest, feeling helpless.

She startles when she hears a sudden banging, and stares at Steven as he kicks the controls. Lapis feels his anger and frustration is justified, but her concern grows as he continues to try and break the control board.

"Steven, maybe we should- "

"It has to be a lie, Lapis! You have to believe me, it's a lie!" Lapis puts her head on her arms, pausing for a moment before responding.

"Steven, you saw the reports. Earth was taken out by some super weapon called the cluster. Nothing more to it."

"There has to be!" Steven is screaming now, pounding his hands against the board, and Lapis starts panicking as it cracks.

"Steven, what are-"

"We stopped the cluster!" Lapis quickly stands and grabs Steven's hands, but he rips them away and turns to her, face wet and red, eyebrows furrowed in anger and uneven breaths causing him to stumble a bit.

"We stopped it, Lapis! I bubbled it! We were all safe from it, _this couldn't have happened!"_

"But then Homeworld took control of Earth. They must have... triggered it, or something!" Lapis glanced at the logs again, but everything was just how she left it, proclaiming the destruction of the planet that had been their only hope. How had she never heard of this? If this is what began Era 3, shouldn't she have at least been aware?

"You don't understand, Lapis! If Earth is gone then- then why am I _here?!" _Steven backs up, bumping into the control panel and leaning on it for support. Lapis remains silent, trying so hard to gain control of her own emotions.

"Why did I go sacrifice myself if it didn't matter in the first place? Why did I leave everyone, if they were going to die anyway?! This can't be Earth, because if it is, I've wasted all those years in that stupid mirror for _nothing__!"_ Steven finally collapses to the ground, but Lapis notices when his gem cracks more, sending small bits and shards clinking onto the ground.

"Steven, your gem!" Lapis rushes over to him, kneeling and checking over his gem, and pulling him close when she saw there was nothing she could do. She sniffs as Steven glitches a little, and only hugs him tighter when she realizes he'd stopped crying.

"Lapis?" The blue gem leans back, looking into Steven's fractal eyes. "For so many years, all that time in the mirror, I told myself it was okay, because everyone else got to live."

Lapis started to tear up.

"I said it was okay, because everyone else got to live their lives to the fullest. Even if it was without me, I was glad they would be okay. I knew I would never see them again." Cradling him in her arms, his voice started to break, and she began petting his hair to comfort him.

"Even when I escaped Homeworld with you, I knew all my human family and friends would be long gone. But I told myself that at least they were able to live to grow old, and have families. To move on from what happened to me."

_"It's funny how I lied to myself every single time."_

—————————————————

_This is Carnelian, Facet 3 Cut 2XG, reporting the destruction of Earth. After the downfall of rebel leader Rose Quartz, who somehow survived since the end of the war, Homeworld has finally managed to destroy the planet Earth, where our bright, dazzling Pink Diamond was brutally shattered before her palanquin. A bioweapon known as the "Cluster" has done the deed, yet only moments after, the monstrosity seemed to self destruct by tearing itself apart. _

_This demolition marks the beginning to Era Three, where we can finally move on from the mourning of our fourth late Diamond, and achieve new, glorious succession._

—————————————————

**Okay, so, you're probably thinking something along the lines of this:**

**"Where the heck were you?! What took so long?! Why are you coming back just now?!"**

**Or maybe you don't really care about this story that much, so you're thinking something like this:**

**"Oh, this is back. Kinda forgot it existed."**

**Well, fellow human beings, I must regrettably inform you that this has been a little harder than I thought at first to maintain. Make no mistake, I'm not giving up, but there may be a few breaks between me uploading new chapters. Please bear with me!**

**Also, why does Lapis not know that Earth was destroyed by the Cluster?**

**...I'll probably come up with a BS reason to cover that up later. See you guys!**


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